Trump Removes AI Image After Attack on Pope Leo XIV
Trump deleted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure after criticizing Pope Leo XIV; the pope vowed to keep speaking for peace during a tour to Africa.
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Overview
On April 13, 2026, President Donald Trump removed an AI-generated image he posted that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure.
The image followed a lengthy social media post in which Trump called Pope Leo XIV 'WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy' and said he did not want a pope who criticizes the president.
Pope Leo said aboard his plane to Algeria that he has 'no fear' of the Trump administration and will continue speaking for peace, while Archbishop Paul Coakley called Trump's attack 'disparaging'.
U.S. Catholic leaders and politicians criticized the posts, with Bishop Robert Barron calling them 'entirely inappropriate' and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calling Trump's criticism 'unacceptable'; the U.S. has more than 70 million Catholics.
Pope Leo began a 10-day tour to four African countries and said he would keep promoting dialogue and multilateralism to seek peaceful solutions rather than engage in a debate with the president.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a controversy: language choices like 'backlash' and 'sacrilegious', structural emphasis on the image's deletion and Orthodox Easter timing, and selection of critical voices—including conservative supporters—outweigh defenses. Curated quotes amplify moral outrage, producing a narrative of political and religious misstep.